Among the Trees
by LaCelia
Summary: Another trip to Shin Makoku leaves Yuuri wet and cold in an unfamiliar forest. When Conrad comes to retrieve him, Yuuri is placed in a situation where he must become the protector while dealing with surfacing feelings he barely understands. ConYuu.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Before I introduce this, I want to apologize for not having updated "Child's Play" in a really long time. I'm sorry, the only excuse I have is that things came up and I lost interest in the story by the time things settled down. I recently became inspired though and I will definitely finish "Child's Play", it just may take a longer than I intended. This idea has been plaguing me for a while though, so I've decided to put this up to bring a little Conyuu back to while I work on my other story. It was originally one big story, but it got so long I decided to separate it into chunks. It'll only be about three chapters, four max, I think.

I hope you enjoy "Among the Trees" and I'm once again sorry for the delay with "Child's Play".

* * *

**Among the Trees**

_Chapter 1_

"Shibuya! Your bandage isn't tight enough! Someone could've bled to death by now! That floppy knot wouldn't save anyone! Try again!"

Yuuri winced as his drill sergeant of a teacher—who reminded him a bit of Gisela when she was ordering around Dakoskos—singled him out in front of everyone before marching off to verbally harass another student. He glared at her back and pretended to squish her head with his thumb and index finger. _If you knew I was the Maou I bet you'd think twice before making me feel stupid. Justice!_ But nothing happened. _Oh well,_ he supposed, _it'd_ _probably be an abuse of my powers anyway. But if I asked Gunter, he could probably help me get her imprisoned on the grounds of being a mean teacher._

"Shibuya! How many times do I have to tell you to stop lazing around and get to work?!" She hollered from across the gym.

"S-sorry, sensei!" he laughed nervously and turned to face his partner who was playing with the failed, floppy bandage around his arm. "Why is she picking on me?"

His partner, Yuuri believed his name was Asuka, shrugged and let the wrapping slip off his arm. "Who doesn't pick on you, Shibuya?"

Yuuri frowned, "Oh thanks." He forgot that here he was an average high school student who was targeted by bullies on a regular basis. Due to that he didn't have that many friends outside of Shin Makoku, Murata, and his baseball team. At least I didn't get paired up with one of those bullies… he spared the three guys who usually harped on him a glance. They were attempting to suffocate some poor kid with gauze. Yuuri felt a familiar anger bubble up inside him; he almost went over there to defend the kid, but his scary PE teacher beat him to it.

"Hey! Do you three want to be suspended or not?!" she started ranting and hit the larger one on the head with her clipboard.

Yuuri sighed with relief and went back to attempting to dress a wound. "Why are we doing this? What does wrapping bandages have to do with PE?" Though he was grateful they didn't have to change into their PE clothes for this demonstration.

"Health, I guess. Physical well-being and all that." Asuka shrugged again, "Tighten it up some, Shibuya, I can still feel my fingers."

He tugged until the other boy winced and knotted it off. "Okay. Now what?"

"You get one of those towels wet and bring it over here to clean my supposed head injury." The boy pointed to the tub of water their teacher set up.

"Shouldn't we have taken care of the head wound first?" Yuuri wondered aloud before yelping as a shrill whistle blew in his ear.

His teacher towered over him with her whistle poised and her expression menacing, "Head injuries are usually shallow, you can't bleed out from one. The only way a head injury could kill you on the spot is if you smashed your skull or somehow made contact with the brain. Only doctors can identify concussions or hematomas. Deep wounds near vital veins and arteries are fatal and need to be dealt with first. Remember that!" she turned to leave, but took a second glance at Asuka, "Better bandage, but it still needs work."

"I'll never satisfy her, will I?" Yuuri sighed once she was out of earshot.

Asuka didn't provide any sympathy, "Nope. Now go get a towel so we can finish this lame project."

_If Conrad were here he'd sympathize with me. He'd be on my side with a smile and some form of reassurance… granted it may be a really bad joke, but it's better than nothing._ Yuuri felt a dull ache as he pictured his protector. "I miss them." It had only been four days, but who knew how much time had passed in Shin Makoku? He was eager to get back to see everyone, but what jumped to his mind first was the thought of playing catch with Conrad again.

Yuuri picked up a towel and dipped it into the basin of water. The familiar falling sensation tapped at his senses and he found himself being sucked into the other world. _Perfect timing! _He thought gleefully as water engulfed him.

With a pop he sprung out of the water and bobbed there for a bit. He'd landed in an unfamiliar lake and began to tread water when he noticed he couldn't reach the bottom. No one jumped out to give him a choking hug or called out to him from the shore. It was eerily silent.

The young, wet maou paddled over to the bank and shook a bit. He wrung out the hem of his school uniform while he took in his surroundings. The lake appeared to be in the middle of a forest; dense trees surrounded him every way he turned. This isn't good. Yuuri didn't explore the forests too often and he had no idea if this was Mazoku or human territory. _Well, mom always says to stay in one place if you get lost._ He thought as he plopped down on a log and huddled there to conserve some body heat that the chilled lake stripped him of.

This wasn't how he envisioned his return at all. He expected to be called a cheating wimp by Wolfram and smothered by Gunter. Then, after all that was out of the way, He'd be handed a warm fluffy towel and be on the receiving end of an equally warm and fluffy smile. Yuuri's fantasy came to a halt. _Wait, since when have Conrad's smiles been fluffy?_ _Smiles aren't fluffy!_ He shook his head and sniffled; perhaps his head filled up with water on this past trip and made him think weird things.

The air began to cool more quickly as a breeze picked up. Yuuri craned his head upward to see what the sky looked like. Between the green of the trees he could make out little patches of blue_. I wonder how much time has passed. They should've found me by now, right?_

"EHH?! What if they don't realize I'm back?!" Yuuri panicked, leaping off the log all frazzled.

This posed a bit of a problem. If his retainers didn't know he was back, then he'd be stuck on this log and eventually starve or freeze to death. "But they called me, didn't they? Or Shinou did… so they must know. Especially Conrad. He always knows." Yuuri relaxed a bit, but refrained from sitting back down.

The trees groaned around him as the wind weaved between them. Leaves rustled with the breeze; often giving Yuuri the false impression that someone was coming for him. A loud snap alerted him to approaching footsteps. Yuuri's face lit up and he started to go greet whoever it was when a thought hit him. He could be in human territory; it had happened before. _What if this person isn't too friendly towards people with black hair and eyes?_

Spying a low branch, Yuuri used it to climb up higher into the tree. He situated himself on a relatively high branch so the leaves would partially conceal him. He stopped breathing for a moment as he waited for the person or persons to show themselves.

A familiar mop of brown hair and a tan uniform caught his eye. Yuuri exhaled and laughed airily with relief. _I'm saved!_ He thought happily, watching Conrad emerge from the brush and dash over to the lake.

"Yuuri?" the concerned pitch of his voice didn't escape the teenager.

"Up here, Conrad!" he called out from his perch in the tree; waving ecstatically at the man below.

Conrad turned abruptly and his trained eyes scanned the tree tops for his liege; locating the splash of black amidst the green fairly quickly. His tensed shoulders relaxed some and that familiar smile took its place upon his lips.

"Heika, might I ask what you're doing up there?" Conrad asked fondly, amused by the sight of his king up a tree.

Yuuri glowered, "You might if you called me by my name, nazukeoya."

Conrad's chuckle warmed Yuuri inside and out despite the damp clothes he sported, "Well then, _Yuuri_, why are you in that tree?"

"I didn't know if you were you or not." He explained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Or like Gwendel or Wolfram, you know? I'm not exactly sure where I landed so I figured… I'd be safer up here then down there."

"Good thinking, Yuuri." It comforted Conrad some to know that Yuuri wasn't as naïve as he appeared and finally realized some of the dangers that surrounded the maou. "Would you like to come down now though, seeing as it's only me?"

"I don't know. How do I know you're really Conrad and not some guy dressed up to look like him?" He asked playfully.

_Perhaps he doesn't really understand._ Conrad sighed inwardly; there was a possibility that someone could impersonate a member of the maou's royal guard. _If only he took his own question more seriously._

"Test me then, Heika." Conrad responded in his no nonsense tone.

Yuuri frowned when Conrad refused to take the bait, "I was only kidding, Conrad." _Sheesh, doesn't he remember that I said I'd always believe in everyone? I said I'd never doubt him again, didn't I? _He began his slow descent of the tree, but one of the branches gave way beneath his feet. His stomach dropped, along with the rest of him, and the awkward sensation of falling prompted him to cry out as the canopy of trees spun above him.

Conrad caught him easily, his legs bending to support the extra weight that landed heavily in his arms. Obsidian eyes blinked up at Conrad; he felt dazed from the fall and everything still spun around him. He finally focused on the concerned expression his protector sported and smiled to reassure him.

"You pass, Conrad."

The concern morphed into confusion before understanding dawned on the man's face and he gazed upon his charge with amusement, "How so, Heika?"

"Yuuri!" he chastised as Conrad helped steady him on the ground, "You pass because I know you'll always be there to catch me." He placed a hand on Conrad's shoulder, under the pretense of being unstable still from the drop, and squeezed firmly, "Thank you, Conrad."

The pair trekked through the foliage with the hope of arriving where Conrad left his horse. "This part of the forest is too dense for her to make it through and I needed to find you quickly." He explained when Yuuri asked. "There's a change of clothes for you with her; I regret not bringing them with me. You'll catch a cold if you're wet for too long."

"I'm fine. I haven't been wet for that long." He tried to convince him; but from the looks of Yuuri's clothes, he'd been wet for quite some time.

The forest was dense and a lot of uncovered roots, stray branches, and rocks coated the ground. Yuuri found himself stumbling about rather unkingly-like, so he held onto Conrad's arm for assistance. Apparently Yuuri had been transported fairly close to human territory. Too close for Conrad's liking. The man kept one arm around Yuuri and the other near the hilt of his sword as they walked.

"I thought we were on good terms with everyone except Dai Shimaron." Yuuri voiced his concern, "What happened? How long have I been gone?!"

The panic rushed through Yuuri and startled Conrad a bit, "Don't worry, Heika, you've only been away for two weeks." He felt rather than heard Yuuri's relieved sigh against his side. "We're just near some renegade human tribes that don't agree with some of our allies' decisions. It's just for precaution that I want us to keep our distance."

"But you keep reaching for your sword." Yuuri pointed out.

"I am a soldier, Yuuri." Conrad reminded him, "And I take my duty in guarding you very seriously. There are other dangers besides the human tribes. Wild animals are indigenous to forests such as these and a trained assassin would have an extreme advantage with this kind of coverage."

"Oh…" Yuuri looked around and edged a bit closer to Conrad; he wished he had Morgif with him, but then again the demon sword drew too much attention to itself.

Conrad didn't mean to frighten Yuuri, but this was a precarious situation where he was the only guard. Wolfram had fallen ill a few days prior and Gwendel remained behind to keep the castle from falling into the maniacal hands of Anissina. Gunter had joined him, but stayed at the inn they found with the rest of the soldiers who accompanied them to heal those that had sustained a few injuries thanks to an accidental welcoming committee. Yuuri's arrival had been so sudden, only Conrad had been fully prepared to go this deep into the forest.

Both froze simultaneously when they heard a branch snap. "Please tell me that was you again." Yuuri whispered and tried to look into Conrad's face.

The soldier hushed him and listened hard. He couldn't hear anything else that alerted him to another presence. He guided Yuuri downwards into a crouching position, shielding the black haired boy with his body. Yuuri's cheeks flushed of their own accord as he found himself nestled tightly against Conrad. The warmth the man radiated made him shudder despite himself.

"Don't move." Conrad hissed through his teeth

The tone of his voice sent shivers up and down Yuuri's spine. He personally couldn't hear anything, but Conrad seemed to and it didn't look good. For a while all Yuuri could discern was the sound of their synchronized breathing. His fingers clutched at Conrad's uniform and, for a second, brown eyes met his. That second was all it took.

The scrambling of leaves and cracking of branches rapidly closed in on them and Yuuri found his face being pressed into the dirt. He could feel the weight of Conrad pressing down on his shoulder. Steel screeched against steel; the familiar sound of two swords clashing. Yuuri cringed as the onslaught of sounds hammered against his ear drums. Something warm dripped onto his face, but he didn't get a chance to wonder about it before he was yanked up off the ground and shoved forward.

"Run, Yuuri!" he stumbled and paused to look back at Conrad; the man was faced with two attackers at once. "Go!"

He remembered the flaming chapel and the squelching of Conrad's arm being sliced off and the horrific thought that the man had died and he couldn't move.

The young maou shook his head slowly, "No."

Conrad side stepped and knocked one of the men back, "Yuuri run to safety now!"

"No! I'm not going without you!" The desperation in his voice startled himself as well as Conrad, but it was short lived when he found himself sprawled out on the forest floor again. He gasped for breath; the wind had been knocked out of him by a third enemy they hadn't seen.

The cloaked man lifted his sword to strike the vulnerable boy. Fear seized his body as the blade began its descent.

"Yuuri!" Metal locked against metal; Conrad's sword quivered mere centimeters from Yuuri's face, straining under the force from the opposing sword. "Yuuri move!"

He rolled out from under the blades and scrambled over to a nearby tree and pressed his back against it until the bark dug deep into his skin. His dark eyes followed Conrad's movements; he was ferociously graceful as he alternated between dodging and striking the three different attackers.

_Just_ _like before… he's outnumbered and trying to do everything to protect me…_ Yuuri's gaze settled on Conrad's left arm. _No. I'm not just going to sit back and watch or run away! _He searched the ground frantically for some kind of weapon. He took up a good sized rock and aimed carefully; he didn't want to hit Conrad accidentally. Imitating a major league pitcher, Yuuri chucked the rock at one of the assassins and struck him in the shoulder. The man grunted and pulled back to clutch at the injury while the second one turned to face Yuuri.

"Ah!" Panicked, Yuuri picked up a stick and swung it back and forth to keep the man who approached him at bay. "Why are you attacking us?!"

The attacker ducked down and moved to stab Yuuri in the stomach, but the boy brought the branch down on his head before he could lunge. He momentarily dazed the man, so Yuuri stumbled away to take cover behind another tree. His dark head peeked out from behind the trunk and he watched Conrad and the other two still engaged in their deadly dance. _Conrad…_ He didn't notice the guy he'd just hit come up behind him until it was almost too late. The sword cut away at the tree as Yuuri kept ducking and staggering away.

"Please leave us alone! Can't we just talk about this?!" Still holding onto his peace ideals, Yuuri just kept running in circles around the trees. His foot caught on an unearthed root and he crashed to the ground.

He yelped involuntarily at the shock of gravity betraying him. He regretted the instant he opened his mouth. At the sound of Yuuri's distress, Conrad turned to check on him. Their eyes met and Yuuri watched the chestnut depths change from frantic concern to excruciating pain when one of the assailants swung.

Yuuri stiffened; his jaw dropped and his eyes remained locked on Conrad's grimacing face. Slowly, his gaze traveled to the hilt of the attacker's sword against Conrad's side. He couldn't see the blade at all. His vision blurred when he realized all the blood soaking through Conrad's jacket was because the blade was inside Conrad's body.

He felt the familiar spark of his maryoku before the sword was ripped from his soldier's side and before he heard the sickening crack when Conrad's head made contact with a rock when the other man shoved him to the ground. Blood trickled down from his hairline and he looked like he was in so much pain, but he still tried to fight back! The swords came down again for another round when the maou snapped. The blue aura surrounded him and the winds picked up and the rain started pouring as he screamed.

"CONRAD!!!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

His head throbbed and he felt extremely dizzy when he came to. His stomach churned violently, even more so when he flipped over to empty the contents of his stomach into the dirt. He began to dry heave and collapsed once he moved away from the bile. His power hadn't made him feel like this in a while. Yuuri panted heavily as he slowly rose to a sitting position.

His vision swam and he swayed awkwardly. Shakily he looked around to survey the damage he'd created this time. All three attackers were spread out and unconscious; he prayed that they weren't dead. It looked like they were breathing, and they were also soaking wet as was everything else around them. He assumed he'd used his water dragons or something of the like; he'd never actually seen them before, but Conrad had told him about them…

_Conrad._ He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to where he'd last seen the man. It felt like his heart stopped when he saw his protector lying limp and pale on the ground. His blood soaked through his clothes and pooled on the moist earth beneath him.

A choked sound escaped Yuuri as the image burned into his memory. This was different from the time he'd lost his arm; even then Conrad hadn't been unconscious. Yuuri began crawling towards Conrad, not trusting his legs to be sturdy enough to walk on.

"Conrad?" Yuuri placed his hand on Conrad's chest; he could feel his heart beat through the fabric of his shirt, but it felt so weak.

His breath hitched when he saw the blood that coated Conrad's face and raised his trembling fingers to brush against the chilled skin. _Conrad was so warm earlier._ Instinctively he wanted to check the head wound, but as he moved to lift Conrad up he felt the warm blood from his side against his knee.

"_Head injuries are usually shallow; you can't bleed out from one. The only way a head injury could kill you on the spot is if you smashed your skull or somehow made contact with the brain. Deep wounds near vital veins and arteries are fatal and need to be dealt with first. Remember that!"_

The harsh reprimand of his gym teacher echoed in his head. Yuuri quickly changed courses and began unbuttoning Conrad's military jacket. He peeled it away from the injury and his stomach churned again at the sight of the bleeding gash. _I can't do this!_ His black eyes search Conrad's face for reassurance, but his protector's eyes were closed and he was very, very still. Everything blurred and Yuuri didn't know why until he saw tears drip onto Conrad's face.

"Conrad." He shook his shoulder a little; his own body trembled, "Conrad, wake up. Please? Conrad?"

Quivering fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly. His hands slowly trailed down to the injury and placed his palms over it. Yuuri attempted to heal him, but he went overboard with his maou powers again and the only thing he managed to accomplish was to make his head spin. Without wasting any more time, Yuuri undid the buttons of his own school uniform and took off both that and the white shirt underneath. He ripped the fabric into strips and started to bandage up Conrad's wound. He pushed down on it to try and slow the bleeding.

With a lot more fumbling and desperation, Yuuri mimicked what they'd done in gym class that day. He ripped up some of Conrad's shirt and wrapped it around his head. He noticed a severe gash on his right arm and tied that up too. There were other bruises and cuts, but he wasn't too sure what to do for them other than ice them and that wasn't possible at the moment.

The sky remained overcast from when Yuuri unleashed his powers and only got darker as time passed. A steady drizzle broke out above them. Yuuri covered Conrad's head with his own black jacket and looked around franticly for some kind of shelter. _Conrad can't stay out in the rain!_ He absently stroked his soldier's cheek; at least the rain washed away the blood from his face.

Yuuri managed to prop Conrad up into a sitting position and looped one arm around his shoulder. Mustering up as much strength as he could, Yuuri hoisted him up and bore the brunt of his weight on his back.

"It's okay, Conrad." He gasped out as he struggled through the forest away from the fallen enemies in search of shelter. "Just stay with me, okay?"

The muddied earth made it difficult to walk and Yuuri slipped several times; losing his grip on Conrad twice. The movement agitated his injuries and Yuuri panicked when he felt blood seeping out of the makeshift bandage. He finally stumbled upon a hollowed out tree trunk and quickly tugged Conrad towards it. He lowered him carefully and made sure that he was as comfortable as possible in the damp cavern of the tree. Yuuri tightened the bandage on his torso and sighed with relief once the bleeding stopped.

He draped Conrad's military jacket over his upper body along with his black uniform to keep Conrad warm. Yuuri, now shirtless, shivered from the cold but he was determined to do everything he could to help the man. He trained his gaze on the slow, shaky rise and fall of Conrad's chest. It terrified him to see him so vulnerable; _is this how Conrad feels whenever I get hurt or kidnapped?_

"I'm sorry Conrad." Yuuri curled up against his soldier's uninjured side and placed his cheek on Conrad's bare shoulder and fixed the substitute blanket around the man more securely. "Conrad…"

He inhaled deeply and squeezed his eyes shut. It smelled like blood, rain, musk, and sweat along with an earthy scent that was distinctly Conrad. Tears pricked beneath his eyes as he recalled the other times he'd caught a whiff of the scent; after baseball practice or their morning jogs. Impulsively he slid closer and wrapped his arms around Conrad.

"Please don't die, Conrad. You promised you wouldn't leave me alone." He hiccupped against the man's neck, "You offered me your life, right? So you have to wake up so I can keep it with me."

Yuuri drifted off; completely spent and wrapped around the one who always protected him in an attempt to do the same for him this time around.

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the opening of the hollow tree when Yuuri awoke. His mind was a bit muddled from the events of the previous day, but the steady heart beat beneath his ear brought him back to reality. He'd ended up half on top of Conrad; their legs tangled together while Yuuri was angled across the man's chest with his arms wrapped around the broad shoulders. He blushed darkly and carefully moved off of Conrad; he noticed the jackets had slid a bit and were bunched up on one side of Conrad with Yuuri on the other so their bare skin had been touching. He shook his head; _I should be more concerned with his injuries!_ Yuuri brushed Conrad's hair aside and looked into his face.

He was still pale and his breathing was labored. _Me lying on top of him can't have helped._ Yuuri chastised himself as he ran his fingers through brown, sweat soaked locks. He had a fever, but it didn't seem to be too bad. The bandage around his head fared well, but there was still the chance that Conrad had a concussion.

"Conrad?" he inquired softly, "Conrad?"

The man offered no reply; just the light breathing and steady heart beat. Yuuri sighed heavily and took Conrad's hand in his and rubbed it a bit. Black eyes wandered around the cramped tree hollow. It was damp and muddy; as were their clothes and the makeshift bandages.

"I don't want your wounds to get infected." Talking aloud eased his nerves, "You said you brought me a change of clothes, right? I'm going to go find your horse, okay? Then I can rewrap everything with my new clothes. I'll be right back."

It took some time for him to release his grip on Conrad's hand. He left what remained of his shirt with his soldier, but it didn't matter much since what little sunlight reached his bare chest with warm and soothing. It was quite a contradiction to the previous day's weather. The forest didn't appear nearly as foreboding as it had before; the light helped a lot. But he had no idea where Conrad left his horse and the size of the forest intimidated him once more. He broke the branches of trees he passed so he could find his way back and began whistling. _Do horses respond to whistles? Or is that just for dogs?_

A few scratches, stumbles, and twenty minutes later he found Conrad's horse dozing in a more open part of the forest. The animal awoke as Yuuri approached tentatively, but she just twitched an ear in his direction before lowering her neck to graze. Yuuri stroked her mane reassuringly and opened the pack fastened to her saddle. He rifled through it and was relieved to find provisions that would help them until Conrad got better. He found a change of clothes, blankets, military rations, a canteen of water, a roll of bandages, and his human disguise.

"This is great!" he grinned to himself then looked at the horse, who ignored him and munched on the grass, "Hey, do you think you can make it through to Conrad? He's not that far."

She flicked her tail and Yuuri took that as a yes. He fumbled with the rope Conrad tied her up with. _With the horse, it'll be easier for Conrad to get out of the forest. I don't think I could carry him all this way._ Slowly but surely, Yuuri guided the horse through the narrow path he'd made.

Conrad was still sleeping when Yuuri returned; it looked like he hadn't regained consciousness the whole time he'd been away. Even though his chest rose and fell with labored breath, Yuuri still pressed his ear against Conrad's chest to listen to his heart beat. Relief flooded through him; it sounded stronger.

"Everything's going to be fine." Yuuri told them both.

Removing the pack from Conrad's horse, he set to work fixing up the hastily wrapped injuries. The gash in Conrad's side really worried him, _What if any internal organs were damaged? Will it still be bleeding? How deep is it?_ It didn't look too bad until Yuuri shifted Conrad's weight to get a better view of his side and blood flowed from the wound. Yuuri flinched away; his hands were already coated in Conrad's dried blood from last night, but the fresh, bright color that stained his fingers made his heart ache.

"Conrad, I'm so sorry." The young maou whispered.

He undid the knotted shirt while keeping pressure on it with one hand once it was loose enough. He tossed the ripped shirt off to the side. With his black uniform top and Conrad's canteen Yuuri moistened the shirt and cleaned Conrad injury as best as he could. The soldier groaned softly when Yuuri pressed on it; the usual mask breaking away to reveal the true pain he had to suffer through. Yuuri's breath hitched and he lowered his head.

"C-conrad. I'm s-so sorry, Conrad." He hiccupped, "If I hadn't been so useless… you wouldn't have gotten hurt…" He pressed his lips to Conrad's side; feeling childish for hoping the 'kiss it and make it better' sentiment came true, but instead felt his maryoku pulse through his veins.

He healed Conrad until he was lightheaded and felt like vomiting again, but he quelled his nausea and took the roll of bandages and wrapped him up good and tight. The color returned to Conrad's cheeks and his breathing sounded clearer. Yuuri changed all of his bandages before he took the remaining water in the canteen and dribbled it into Conrad's dry mouth.

Yuuri wrapped a blanket around Conrad to keep him warm and draped Conrad's military jacket over his own shoulders. He snuggled against Conrad's good side and dozed off for a bit. The slight shifting against him alerted him to Conrad's slow ascent into wakefulness.

His eyelids fluttered to unveil disoriented brown eyes. Yuuri propped himself up on his elbows and looked down into his protector's face. His fingertips lightly brushed against Conrad's cheek as the man struggled to register what was going on. His gaze became more lucid once he met Yuuri's concerned eyes.

"Conrad?" Yuuri whispered, not wanting to startle him be speaking too loudly.

"Y-yuuri?" Black eyes shimmered with a variety of emotions at the sound of Conrad's unbelievably weak voice.

"Conrad!" he buried his face against Conrad's neck and tried his hardest not to cry, "I was so worried! But you're awake! Thank god! Conrad, I'm so sorry Conrad! Does it still hurt a lot? Are you hungry? I'm so sorry, I'm talking too much! Sorry."

He lifted his head up and smiled tearfully at the man in question, who still seemed a bit out of it. He took in his king's appearance and his eyes widened when he saw that Yuuri was covered in blood. Conrad raised a shaky hand and Yuuri grabbed it wordlessly in both of his.

"Yuuri… what happened…? You're…" Conrad's voice sounded so small and sad; Yuuri broke down right then and there.

He shook his head and squeezed Conrad's hand tightly, "I'm fine, see? It's you… you got so hurt… I was scared, I thought you were going to die!"

"But the blood… you're hurt…" the soldier was still dazed, so Yuuri placed his fingers against his cracked lips.

"Shh… I'm not hurt. Now stop talking before you hurt yourself more. You still need to rest." Yuuri instructed, placing Conrad's hand back down and grabbing the pack to find some food for him. "I found your horse. She's right here, so you don't have to worry. You really came prepared too! I was able to change your bandages and everything. Ah! Here we are!" He uncovered a roll wrapped in cloth and broke off some small pieces. "Here, you should eat something to get back your strength."

Yuuri turned to face Conrad again, but the brown eyes had slipped shut and he slept again. He set the bread off to the side and tucked the blanket around Conrad. While the man rested, Yuuri decided to wash off in a nearby stream. One glance at his reflection and he could see why Conrad had been worried. He was covered in both mud and Conrad's blood; not to mention a couple of bruises and scratches from tripping. Ignoring his own embarrassment, Yuuri took off his pants and washed quickly. _This must be how he and the others feel when I get hurt. _He thought, recalling all the times he woke up to see Conrad weary, sleep-deprived, and yet immensely relieved by his side. He himself didn't want to be away from Conrad any longer than necessary.

Yuuri's hand froze where it had been washing off his arm. His heart began beating erratically and a blush blossomed on his cheeks. Earlier he'd been so panicked and worried over the possibility of losing Conrad that he didn't really think and acted instead. Even when their bare skin pressed together when they slept or when Yuuri kissed his side and forehead, he hadn't thought about the implications of his actions. The only thing he thought was: Not Conrad. Please not Conrad.

And then, when the soldier finally opened his eyes Yuuri's entire body flooded with warmth and he felt so happy yet still terrified that something was wrong. He didn't want Conrad to be in any pain. He wanted to do anything and everything he could for him. He couldn't let anything happen to him. He loved Conrad too much…

_That's it then… isn't it? _Yuuri stared in awe at his reflection, his flushed cheeks still bright, _Do I really love Conrad? _Well, of course he did. He loved everyone at Blood Pledge Castle. They were his home away from home; part of his family. But Conrad had always been a little more than that. He'd named him, he was the first person who tried to understand him and could tell how he felt at a glance, he was his first friend, and his protector. He trusted Conrad more than anyone. _Does that mean I love-love him? Like love in the sense that you can't think of anyone else but that person to the point of being obsessive and stalker-like but it's not weird because it's romantic and you'll do anything for them and you don't want to be with anyone else and you'll get married someday and have kids and grow old together and live happily ever after-love?_

Yuuri's head was spinning and his cheeks flamed as he thought of spending the rest of forever with Conrad in a more intimate way. _Yes; that love._

He dunked his entire body under the water one last time and tried to ease the butterflies that took up residence in his belly. He changed into the clean set of clothes Conrad brought for him; he felt guilty that Conrad didn't have anything to change into but his clothes wouldn't fit the larger man.

Conrad was stirring again when he came back to the hollow tree. Yuuri sat beside him and ran his fingers through his hair. _The fever's gone down… that's good._ He smiled when Conrad unconsciously leaned into his touch. _That's too cute…_ _Yeah…_ he fidgeted a bit, _I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him… I can't believe I just thought he looked cute, though, uugghh…_ It couldn't be that simple though. "There's still Wolfram to deal with… he'll hate me when he finds out. And more importantly…" he bit his lip, _does Conrad even love me back? Like love-love me back?_ He drew his hand away as he wondered. At the loss of contact, Conrad awoke.

He was more aware of his environment this time and not nearly as dazed. He winced when he tried to sit up and Yuuri nudged him back down with an "oh no you don't". His soldier instincts had him alert; the last thing he remembered was being under attack.

"Heika, what happened?" his voice sounded a bit stronger which pleased Yuuri despite how he was addressed. "Where are we?"

"Well first off… it's Yuuri, Conrad!" he admonished gently, "Secondly, we're in a tree. Not like how I was earlier though, but actually inside the tree. It's hollow." Conrad's brow furrowed and he looked as if he had more questions, but Yuuri placed his hand over the man's mouth and tried to look as stern as possible. "I'll tell you everything that's happened if you rest and eat, okay?"

Conrad nodded; surprised by the tone and the fact that he actually put his hand over his mouth. He relaxed as much as he mentally allowed himself and watched as Yuuri handed him the bits of bread he broke off earlier. He smiled softly at the bite sized pieces and when Yuuri fixed the blanket around him some more. The boy appeared very fidgety and touched him every chance he got, not that Conrad would complain.

"Okay… well…" Yuuri cleared his throat, "Umm… those guys attacked us, you remember that." He noted when Conrad's muscles tensed, "I said relax. Well, I… I saw you get hurt because of me and… and I sort of blacked out then because I overdid it with my maryoku again. When I woke up, those guys were all unconscious and so were you. You were bleeding really badly and I couldn't heal you because I was still recovering from just using my powers and it made me sick. I was just really lucky that we learned how to properly wrap bandages and stuff in PE today otherwise I would've had no clue what to do! I still didn't do a very good job though. And I ripped up our clothes, sorry about that… for bandages, that is… and uhh… it started raining so I carried you, well… kinda carried and kinda dragged since I fell a lot. Not that you're too heavy or anything, it's just I'm small, well… smaller… Anyway, I found this tree and tried to make you comfortable. Then I found your horse and she had bandages and food and stuff. So I healed you and cleaned you up a bit. Then I cleaned up and yeah… that's what happened."

He could feel Conrad's eyes on him as he averted his gaze, "So, I didn't get hurt or anything… you don't have to worry about that. You protected me… thank you." _Like always. What would I do without you?_ "I'm sorry that you got hurt, Conrad…"

Yuuri jumped when he felt Conrad's hand on his head and looked up into apologetic brown eyes. "Please don't apologize, Yuuri. Not when I'm the one who should be. I made you worry and I frightened you. I put you in a situation you shouldn't have had to endure. I'm very sorry."

"You can't help getting hurt!" Yuuri didn't want Conrad to be upset, he still needed to get better, "And I chose to worry about you. I probably would've no matter how badly you were hurt. Even if it was just a scratch! I-!" He paused to take a breath, his chest was tight. "I care about you, Conrad. I know I'm a pretty lousy king, but I'll try my best to help you when I can."

"You're one of the greatest kings we've ever known. You've helped us in more ways than you know, Yuuri." Conrad smiled as Yuuri grabbed his hand, "Without you, I probably wouldn't have made it."

"Without me you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place." Yuuri pointed out.

Conrad shook his head, "I don't mean just last night."

Yuuri flushed upon realizing what that implied; that Yuuri's presence kept Conrad living. That was giving him too much credit; he didn't know what to do with that sort of knowledge. _He's exaggerating, or being weird like usual. _

"You must still be out of it. You did hit your head pretty hard. There's a bump to prove it." Yuuri mumbled and Conrad almost laughed, except the motion made his side throb.

He winced and moved to hold it, but Yuuri batted his hand away and placed his own there instead. He focused his maryoku on healing Conrad's side. The man tried to protest, but Yuuri hushed him with another stern look.

"If you don't get better, how are we going to get out of here and meet up with the others?"

That silenced him for some time. Once Yuuri finished—he pushed himself too hard again and his head spun and disoriented him—Conrad had fallen back asleep. _It wouldn't do either of us any good if we both pushed ourselves too hard…_ Yuuri yawned and snuggled up next to Conrad again, laying his head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Sleep well, Conrad…"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I appreciate them a lot and am glad that you're enjoying this so far. So far there's only one chapter after this, but it's still being typed up so it might end up being two more Enjoy this one for now though!

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Chapter 3

"Yuuri. Have you eaten at all since yesterday?"

Night had fallen upon the pair in the hollow tree and Yuuri was getting Conrad more food and water from the pack. They didn't have very much and Yuuri, who was not hurt, wanted to make sure that Conrad, who was hurt, got enough to eat. _Why does he have to be so observant?_

"Of course I did! When you were sleeping!" He smiled and ignored his empty stomach; he just hoped it wouldn't start growling. That would be mortifying. Not to mention, Conrad would find out he was lying.

Conrad arched an eyebrow, but accepted the food and nibbled on it. Yuuri looked over him; he still looked horrible, but not nearly as bad as the night before. _I just have to keep healing him with my maryoku and things will be fine._ He nodded decisively and fetched the canteen of water he'd refilled earlier in the stream and held it out for Conrad. The man shook his head and swallowed whatever he'd had in his mouth.

"You first. You must be thirsty too, Heika." He told him as he ate a piece of bread, leaving behind the tougher bits of dried meat.

Yuuri sighed, "You need fluids, Conrad. You have a fever. You're getting delusional again because you're calling me Heika." He eyed the meat, "Too tough?"

If Yuuri didn't know better, he would've thought Conrad was embarrassed as he looked down at the food in his lap. "No."

_Is he_ _sulking?_ The boy blinked twice before heaving an over dramatic sigh to get Conrad's attention and took a small sip of water from the canteen, "Happy now?"

"Yes, very." Conrad flashed him a bright smile that Yuuri couldn't help but return as he handed him the water.

The man fell asleep again before he ate the meat. Yuuri frowned, recalling what his mother always preached about proteins making you stronger. Conrad never seemed to have a problem with eating this kind of thing before and even teased Yuuri about his dislike of it sometimes. He figured he might have hurt his jaw in the fight or that his head wound was more serious than he thought.

"How can I get him to eat this?" he mused aloud, staring at the bits of meat. "I already ripped them up really small. What else can I…?"

Yuuri blushed brightly at the thought of chewing Conrad's food for him. _No way! No way! Only birds and stuff do that! I couldn't! It'd be gross and weird! It's like indirect kissing but not and… and…! _He wiggled uncomfortably as the mental image of actually kissing Conrad distracted him. Their bodies pressed together tightly and hands sliding up and down skin and Conrad's mouth would be so hot and wet and their tongues…

"Uwwwaah!!! Shut up stupid brain! Stupid teenage hormones!" He rubbed his cheeks furiously as his heart pounded. "Okay, okay. I'll just chew the food so it's softer and it's not like he'll know, he's sleeping!" Somehow that made it seem even worse.

Yuuri peered at Conrad carefully, to make sure he was still asleep before he took a piece of dried meat and chewed on it. It was unbearably hard, but the thought of Conrad not being able to chew it upset him some. The soldier was used to this kind of food. Once he felt it was tender enough, Yuuri pulled it out and grimaced before drying his saliva off it with a cloth. His stomach growled angrily at the food being taken away. He nibbled on a small piece of bread, hoping that would be enough to sustain him for now.

With the night came the chilly wind; even with Yuuri's new, dry clothes he still felt the cold nip at his skin. He huddled close to Conrad, figuring he must be even colder due to blood loss and the lack of a shirt. He put another blanket over him along with his coat and slid underneath with him. It was embarrassing to be this close to him, but it was for Conrad's sake. And Yuuri couldn't say that he didn't enjoy snuggling with Conrad. He twined their legs together and draped himself over Conrad's good side. As he drifted off, he felt something shift beneath him. Conrad pulled him closer and rested his own arm around Yuuri's waist.

Yuuri looked up at him, but the man was still fast asleep. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips and he buried his head in the crook of Conrad's neck; his pulse lulling him to sleep.

He hadn't been asleep for too long before a foreign sound awoke him. Something was moving in the forest. Or someone. Yuuri became more alert when he registered hushed voices approaching them. He looked at Conrad, but the man was still asleep. Slowly, Yuuri got up and crept over to the opening of the tree. He was thankful that he'd tied Conrad's horse up where she'd be concealed by a lot of brush. It might be some of their men looking for them, but there was also the chance that it was those assassins from before. Yuuri shuddered; a mixture of fear and anger bubbling inside him. Anger for what they did to Conrad and fear because he wasn't sure if he could fend them off this time.

As they got closer, he could hear more of what they were saying. "-can't believe that brat… with his magic… voodoo powers…"

"They do say that double blacks are extremely powerful." Somebody grunted, "I can see why now."

"Quit complaining. At least they were stupid enough to leave their only weapon behind." Another scoffed and Yuuri blanched.

_I forgot Conrad's sword?! And they have it?!_ His heart raced as he remained still and silent. Whoever was out there didn't seem to know where they were going and he banked on the cover of darkness keeping them safe for now.

"There's no way they got too far. The half-demon scum must be dead by now; you got him good." The first one commented airily.

"Yeah. If he didn't bleed to death, then the blow to his head will kill him in a matter of days if not hours."

The one who called Yuuri stupid spoke up again, "Still… the kid's pretty powerful if he knocked us out for an entire day. Got us soaking wet too."

"He would've brought in a hefty price in the black market. Too bad we lost him."

"Let's just hope he got lost in here and either dies of exposure or stumbles upon us again weak and delusional. We should get moving though. People don't rob themselves you know and we need a profit."

"Okay, okay." The first one agreed, "There's a village not too far from here. We'll score there. In more ways than one if you know what I mean."

Laughter erupted among the group of three and faded as they wandered away from the hollow tree. Yuuri clenched his fists and bit down hard on his lower lip. _Bandits… they weren't even soldiers or spies from Dai Shimaron. They didn't even know I was the Maou! They just wanted money… they hurt Conrad for that?_ Yuuri almost got up and chased after them; but the sight of Conrad sleeping peacefully amidst the blankets calmed him down a bit. _I don't have a sword… and there's no way I can sustain my maryoku like this._ His stomach growled in agreement. With a heavy sigh, he could only hope that they got their comeuppance someday.

Conrad groaned in his sleep and started shifting around. Yuuri crawled back over to his side to soothe him into a peaceful state. The man relaxed a bit, but Yuuri felt overwhelmed all of a sudden. He wanted to go home or back to the castle; somewhere where he didn't have to face all of this. If he were as strong as Conrad he could've charged after those guys and make them regret ever crossing paths. But he couldn't do anything, he couldn't even properly heal the man he loved.

He didn't know when he started crying; but he realized he was when loud sobs broke through his self-pity. His body shook as he tried to suppress them, but he couldn't contain it. He just wanted to cry for a little while and maybe things would seem better in the morning. Yuuri choked on one of his sobs when a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"Yuuri, what's wrong?" Great, now he'd woken up Conrad when the man needed rest. His tears increased and he buried his head against Conrad's chest; worry evident in the man tone, "Yuuri? Shh… it's okay. Don't cry, Yuuri. It's alright."

Despite his injured side and arm, Conrad managed to create a steady rocking motion to comfort him. He alternated between humming softly and whispering reassuring nothings into his ear. Yuuri clung tightly to his soldier and cried until his body became so exhausted that he couldn't anymore. Then he just breathed in Conrad's scent and stayed nestled in his arms. Even when the rocking stopped he knew Conrad was still awake, just as he knew that Conrad knew he was awake.

Finally, his voice hoarse and tired, he spoke up, "Your side… you shouldn't-"

"It doesn't matter right now." Conrad's no nonsense tone was back; while it usually bothered Yuuri, he never felt so relieved to hear it at that moment. "You've taken very good care of me, Yuuri. I can manage something like this."

Yuuri relaxed and allowed himself to be held; though he felt a bit guilty for enjoying it so much. He'd been held by Conrad before, but never like this. Never so intimately and without immediate danger. Though, he figured Wolfram's temper and position as his fiancée would prohibit this kind of behavior usually.

He tensed a bit at the thought of Wolfram, but Conrad rubbed his back gently and eased the tightened muscles. "Conrad…?" He both felt and heard the man hum in response and he smiled at the sensation it created beneath his cheek. "Thank you."

"No thanks are necessary." Conrad's smile somehow made it into his voice and Yuuri felt ten times better upon hearing it, "Like I said you've taken very good care of me. Now let me take care of you for a bit. You've also been through a lot of pain." He sensed Yuuri beginning to protest, but prevented him from doing so. "Maybe not physically, but emotionally you've been hurt. So let me take care of you, like you did for me. I also care about you, Yuuri. Very much."

Yuuri sniffled and held Conrad tighter. It wasn't a love confession, but he could hear the raw emotions in Conrad's voice and that was enough for him. He tilted his head up and pressed his lips to Conrad's jaw, seeking out his lips. The kiss was chaste, but the sheer need overwhelmed everything. Conrad barely reciprocated, but it was barely a kiss to begin with. Yuuri pulled away and his red-rimmed eyes met with Conrad's confused, but adoring ones.

"A kiss is supposed to make it better." Yuuri told him softly, rationalizing his actions.

Conrad gazed at Yuuri for a while, but it wasn't accusing or disgusted. The boy realized he was searching for confirmation of his feelings. His heart sped up and his cheeks colored, but even in the dark it was noticeable on his pale skin. He smiled nervously and it was immediately covered by a pair of chapped, but still soft lips.

Conrad's eyes spoke volumes when he pulled away, "It worked."

Together they leaned in again, Yuuri pressed a little deeper and his body began to tingle in a pleasant way. Conrad tried to prop himself up for a better angle to delve into the kiss, but he winced when he jostled his arm. Yuuri pulled back quickly and opened his mouth to apologize, but Conrad's mouth silenced him. Their heartbeats slowed and they took their time separating their lips. Very carefully, they shifted to settle down to sleep for the night. Both were thoroughly exhausted and light-hearted despite the grim circumstances of the previous day. Yuuri tucked his head beneath Conrad's chin and wrapped his arms around his waist once he got the other man into a position better suited to his injured side. But Conrad still kept his arm around Yuuri's shoulder and together they protected each other with only the trees as silent observers.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's the last real chapter of this tale; I decided to tack on an epilogue just for fun and to wrap up Yuuri and Conrad's relationship and recovery so that will come right after this. I'm sorry this took so long. I wanted to get it right and on top of that I got sick with the flu (not the swine flu, thank goodness, but still a nasty strain of it) so my writing has been "ehh". Thank you so much to those of you who've reviewed and supported this story. It means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy this last part!

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_Chapter 4_

Yuuri woke to sunlight and birds chirping, still wrapped around Conrad. His face burned as he recalled what he'd said and done the night before. They'd kissed more than once, really nice kisses, and were lying rather intimately together. Yuuri's insides squirmed with a mixture of delight and anxiety as he became aware of how close they were. He was extremely conscious of their contact and fought the urge to eliminate all the space between them. Chest to chest and hip to hip; the thought made him wiggle and gasp. He edged away from Conrad and took deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn't let his own raging hormones distract him like that.

He froze when the other man stirred. Brown eyes blinked open groggily as a half-sigh, half-grunt sounded from deep within his throat. Yuuri's breath hitched, _He's so…_ he could only describe his sleepy appearance as adorable, but Conrad didn't seem like the type to be adorable. He was dashing, handsome, and sexy… Yuuri looked away, embarrassed to think of his soldier like that. _What would he think if he knew I was ogling him like this?_ He spared him another glance and was relieved to see Conrad more awake.

"Morning Conrad." He greeted softly.

Conrad rubbed his eyes and then his head as he tried to sit up, "Good morning, Heika."

At the sound of his title Yuuri's mood plummeted. Heika instead of Yuuri again; usually it only annoyed him, but this time the formality gave Yuuri the impression that Conrad was distancing himself. _That's not fair._ Yuuri stood abruptly and muttered something about needing to freshen up before he left the tree. Conrad watched after him; baffled at the sudden departure.

_Does he regret it? Does he not want to be with me like that? Did he just kiss me to appease me? Why? I thought… _Yuuri bolted for the creek, but he tripped on his way there and ended up sick in the bushes. Since there wasn't much in his stomach it was mainly dry heaving, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He drank from the creek and gargled water to rid himself of the nasty bile. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and gazed at his reflection.

"Who am I kidding? I'm his king… that's all he'll ever see me as. I'm just a duty to him and I only get him into trouble." He wished desperately that it wasn't true.

He took his time washing his face and just collecting himself before he went back to face Conrad. _If he's by my side… I guess that's what really matters. I'd rather have him as my friend than not at all._ On his way to the tree, he paused when he noticed two horses and their riders approaching the tree they'd been staying in. _Oh no. No, what if they find him?!_

"Hey! Hey, over here!" Yuuri waved his arms wildly to divert their attention and keep Conrad's whereabouts safe in case they meant harm.

"Heika?" Yuuri blinked at the title and realized the two riders were his own soldiers, "Thank Shinou you're alright. Lord von Christ has been worried sick about you. Come quickly and we'll get you to shelter. Where is Sir Weller?"

Yuuri shook his head, "He's hurt. We've been staying over this way."

_Thank goodness we're saved! Conrad can get some proper care now! _He thought happily, in much better spirits upon being found. The boy led his men to the tree and sent one of them back for reinforcements in case Conrad couldn't ride while the other went to prepare their captain's horse. Yuuri ducked into the tree to get Conrad and found the man struggling to get up.

"Conrad! Lie down!" He ordered and the soldier obliged reluctantly.

"I was starting to worry." Conrad replied; though from the look on his face he'd been more than worried. "Are you alright?"

"Fine!" Yuuri answered a bit too quickly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly while Conrad raised an eyebrow, "Just fine. I ran into some of our soldiers. They're going to lead us back to town. If you're feeling up to it, that is."

Something about Yuuri's behavior bothered Conrad, but he let it go for the time being and trusted the boy to come to him if he needed to. Though he'd need to keep himself in check; he'd taken advantage of the vulnerable maou last night when he needed comfort and he couldn't allow that kind of lack of self-restraint. Even though it had been Yuuri who initiated the kiss, he'd been exhausted and overwhelmed and in need of reassurance. Conrad was ashamed of his behavior and was just hoped that Yuuri wasn't disgusted by him.

"That's good, Heika. You'll be more comfortable in an inn than here."

"It's Yu-!" he hastily began to reprimand before he lowered his voice, "It's Yuuri… and… and this place isn't so bad." He'd come to terms with his own feelings and desires here and shared his first kiss with the man he loved. Still, the prospect of food, a warm bath, and a comfy bed didn't sound half bad. _Though you should think about your own comfort, nazukeoya._ "Do you think you'll be able to sit on your horse?"

"I'll manage." Conrad smiled reassuringly before his expression became pensive, "Yuuri-"

"Oh, here, try and eat some protein to get a bit more strength back. Then I'll heal you some more before we leave. They're getting your horse and some reinforcements right now. Oh! I should probably start packing up too." Yuuri babbled, not ready to face whatever Conrad had to say just yet.

"Yuuri, wait a-" the man was cut off by a softened piece of meat being placed at his lips.

"Eat, don't talk, Conrad. You need to conserve your energy. You can talk later." Yuuri waited for him to start chewing—he saw that it was much easier, given that he'd chewed it first and blushed as he remembered—before he started packing up the blankets. Conrad was surprised at how tender the meat was compared to the day before, but became intrigued by the blush Yuuri sported when he ate it.

As the reinforcements arrived, Yuuri set to work on healing Conrad a little bit more. He was careful not to overdo it while making sure Conrad had at least enough strength to sit upright in a saddle for some time. With the help of several soldiers, they managed to get the captain up and out of the tree without further injury. He was dizzy and his muscles were sore, but no worse for the wear otherwise.

"Jeez, taichou. You look like hell." Conrad glanced over at Yosak, who accompanied the other soldiers, "The kiddo patched you up good though. Nice work, Heika!"

Yuuri smiled at Yosak in return, and then the two of them helped Conrad onto his horse before Yuuri climbed on in front.

"Are you sure you want to ride with him, Heika? There's room on some of the other horses." Yozak suggested, surprised that Yuuri was taking the reins.

Yuuri shrugged, "Well, somebody's gotta drive her, right?"

"I'm perfectly capable of riding my horse, Heika." Conrad attempted to take the reins back but Yuuri pulled them away.

"You're hurt and in no condition to steer. Just let me do it, okay Conrad? I have been practicing. Besides, your horse is almost as gentle as Ao and she likes me, right?" the horse whinnied as he pet her neck and Conrad acquiesced.

With Yozak leading the way, the small caravan of soldiers and their maou made their way out of the forest. What started out as a good idea ended up rather embarrassing for Yuuri. Conrad's horse was not nearly as easy to handle as his own. The soldier had to wrap his arms around Yuuri's waist and whisper instructions into his ear whenever she acted up and startled the other men around them.

"Don't pull too tightly. Just guide it upwards… that's it, Yuuri. A little to the left now… see? She doesn't need too much convincing to keep moving." Conrad told him; his warm breath ghosted along the shell of Yuuri's ear and he shuddered at the sensation coupled with Conrad's arms around him. "Are you cold?"

"No… not really." Yuuri replied, leaning back a bit while keeping his eyes on the horse in front of him.

They made it back to town within an hour and Yuuri felt immensely relieved to not see green everywhere he looked. He soon saw the inn and was glad for it, he could feel Conrad slumping and tensing a bit behind him. He needed to lie down again soon.

"Heika!!"

Yuuri smiled sheepishly as Gunter began wailing upon his king's arrival; he couldn't decide if he was relieved to be around the over-enthusiastic advisor again or fearful of the hug he'd be on the receiving end of soon enough. "Hey, Gunter."

"Oh, Heika! You're safe! Oh, I don't know what I would've done—what the kingdom would've done—had a single hair on your head been harmed. You aren't harmed are you? Oh Heika!!" Gunter paused in his lament once he noticed Conrad behind Yuuri, "Conrad, what happened out there?"

"Nothing Heika and I couldn't have handled." Conrad replied a little too cheerfully given the situation. Yuuri would've elbowed him in the stomach had the man not been injured, though he figured he just didn't want to upset Gunter anymore than necessary.

Gunter frowned, "Well you can't have done anything very well without your sword."

_How did he find out?!_ Yuuri inwardly panicked as he felt Conrad stiffen behind him. "What are you talking about, Gunter?" Confusion was evident in the soldier's inquiry as Yozak and the others dismounted.

The silver haired man turned to one of his men who'd stayed behind at the inn and held Conrad's sword in his hands, "We caught some bandits pillaging the town and causing a fair amount of ruckus, so I had them dealt with accordingly and found this amongst their stolen goods."

Yuuri brightened, his eyes drifting from the sword to Gunter and back again, "You mean you caught them?"

Gunter nodded, "Yes, they've been jailed and charged with the felony of theft. They won't be killed, Heika, just imprisoned for some time."

"How many were there?" Conrad asked, Yuuri forgot he didn't know who these bandits were.

"Only three. But that's beside the point, Conrad. You can't be so careless with something this important." Gunter lectured as if Conrad was his student all over again. As Yozak helped Yuuri and Conrad down from the horse he smirked and didn't even try to hide his snicker of amusement at his captain being scolded. "What if you needed it and Heika was in danger and you couldn't-"

"I'm sorry! It was my fault!" Yuuri bowed his head apologetically; he felt absolutely horrible that Conrad was getting in trouble for his stupid mistake. "I wasn't thinking, well, I was… but not about that! I was thinking about getting Conrad somewhere safe because he was hurt from being attacked and I was afraid he was going to die so I panicked and the sword didn't even cross my mind until the guys that attacked us came back-!"

"They came back?!" Conrad interrupted, his voice sounded raspy as frantic concern seeped into his tone.

He nodded, "Yeah, last night. They didn't see us though! They just passed by and I almost wanted to stop them, but I wasn't strong enough and they had your sword, which they bragged about like jerks… anyway, I'm sorry. It was my carelessness, not Conrad's, so please don't get mad with him."

"Yuuri…" Conrad murmured softly, and Yuuri thought back to the previous night and wanted nothing more than to curl up with Conrad again.

Gunter was struck speechless for a moment, as were the rest of the soldiers, before he flung his arms around Yuuri, "Heika! Oh, Heika! There is no need to apologize! How terrifying for you, yet you acted so gallantly!"

The air was quickly squeezed out of the young king's tired, hungry, and achy body. While he missed this greeting initially several days ago, Yuuri did like breathing so he desperately tried to squirm out of the death grip.

"Oi, Lord von Christ!" Yozak called out from where he was holding up Conrad, much to the other man's annoyance, "I think the kiddo needs some rest and proper food, wouldn't you agree?"

Yuuri loudly growling stomach concurred with that suggestion.

Gunter released him immediately, "My apologies, Heika! I wasn't thinking! You must be exhausted! And Conrad, you must rest up too. Yozak, I trust you will see that he is made comfortable and receives proper medical treatment."

"Roger that!" Yozak saluted with the hand that wasn't supporting Conrad and led the brown haired soldier away.

Yuuri fought the urge to demand he go with Conrad, but the combination of Gunter tugging on him and the growling of his stomach prevented him from doing so. Not to mention the fear of being rejected. Conrad must've grown tired of his presence by this point. They headed for separate rooms once inside the inn. Yuuri looked over his shoulder one last time, surprised to see Conrad doing the same and offering him a reassuring smile. Yuuri smiled back, contented that Conrad didn't want to be separated just as much as him.

After a nice, warm bath (the forest followed him back and Yuuri cringed because he hadn't felt that dirty until the bath) and a hearty meal, Gunter left Yuuri to take a nap and rest up. They were to leave the next day; a carriage had been brought along and Conrad would be able to ride there along with Yuuri. The young kind climbed into bed and sighed happily upon discovering how comfy it was. It couldn't compare to his bed at the castle, but it was better than the ground.

He tossed and turned for a while; completely restless which contradicted his being so exhausted. His heart felt heavy and the bed was too empty. _I mean, I'm glad I have the bed to myself and I'm not being beaten to death by Wolfram in my sleep… but it's…_ he looked around for some kind of answer and found it in the lack of a warm, sturdy body next to him. _Lonely._

Yuuri threw off the covers and padded over to the door. In a pair of pajamas he stepped out into the hall and looked around. It felt strange to be in his bed wear in the middle of the afternoon, but he tried not to let it bother him. Once in the hall, he realized he had no clue where he was going.

"Hey, kiddo. Looking for taichou?" Yuuri jumped about a mile, before he realized it was just Yozak. The spy grinned and pointed down the hall, "Three doors that-a-way. He's not sleeping yet. Just finished up with the doctor, so you've got a few more minutes before he nods off."

Yuuri smiled, "Thanks Yozak."

"No problem." He waved it off, "By the way. Good job, Heika. You handled yourself and Lord Weller pretty well back there. I'm impressed. And I'm willing to bet that he's even more." Yozak winked and Yuuri blushed a bit, wondering exactly what that meant. "Good luck!"

"It's like he knows…" Yuuri muttered once he was out of earshot.

He headed towards Conrad's room and fidgeted a bit before mustering up enough courage to knock softly. A muffled and croaky 'come in' answered him, so Yuuri took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He peeked in nervously to see Conrad lying in bed amidst a sea of blankets with a cooling cloth on his forehead. The man looked exhausted and haggard and Yuuri's heart clenched.

Conrad didn't look at all surprised to him and offered a gentle smile, "Hello, Heika. Shouldn't you be resting?" Yuuri swallowed thickly and managed a guilty nod, "Then did you need something?"

Yuuri's cheeks flushed brightly, even more so when he realized Conrad could totally see him blushing like a school girl. _What do I say? 'Yes, I need to sleep with you because I'm lonely-' no wait! Not like that!_ He stared hard at the floor and tried to figure out that past few days in his head, but everything just got all jumbled up and he was tongue-tied.

"Yuuri?" Conrad's voice broke through and Yuuri snapped.

"I love you!" he blurted out before his mind told him otherwise.

He met Conrad's gaze and found shock flicker across his face. His brown eyes had widened considerably, so much that Yuuri would've laughed had he not been so mortified. Then he saw something that filled him with delight; hope. Hope and love and amazement shone plainly on Conrad's face for just a moment before he concealed it with a mask of confusion and guilt. But that hope was enough to keep him going.

"Yuuri-"

"I love you." Yuuri stated more firmly this time, stubbornly staring Conrad down, "I-I do. I love you, and don't try to change my mind or tell me I'm wrong because I'm not. I know what I feel. If you don't love me that way, then fine, tell me that. I'll understand. I'm either a kid or a king to you, I know that. But… because I'm your king…" Yuuri faltered, his real fear trickled out in his voice, "I don't want you to be with me just because of that. Don't feel obligated to love me just because I love you. Because I'm your king. And I… I… oh wow…" he covered his face with his hand as the reality of what he said crashed down on him.

He could feel Conrad's eyes on him and suddenly felt really stupid and awkward. "Yuuri, come here."

He looked up from his hand back at Conrad, baffled by the tenderness in his voice. "Well, shut the door first, and then come over here." Yuuri did so and hesitantly edged over to the side off Conrad's bed that had more space. Conrad took Yuuri's hand in his own and held it tight. "I only feel obligated to love you by my own heart and nothing else." He whispered fiercely; lips brushing over trembling knuckles. "You are very precious to me, not only because you are my king, but because you're Yuuri Shibuya."

"Conrad…" Yuuri's breath hitched and he wasted no time in replacing his knuckles with his lips.

Conrad responded in kind and their kiss measured up to their words; their lips hungered for each other, but didn't progress beyond chaste. Yuuri tried to deepen it, but almost fell on Conrad because the kiss shattered his sense of equilibrium. Instead he pulled back enough to snuggle up beside his soldier and pillowed his cheek on his good arm like he'd been doing in the tree, the other's pulse echoing in his ear.

"I hate to spoil the mood…" Conrad murmured, "But what about Wolfram?"

"I'll talk to him." Yuuri yawned sleepily, "I'll be gentle about it too. I do care about him, but as a good friend. I can't let us hurt each other by getting trapped in a fake marriage. It'd be a lose-lose situation. I wouldn't love him like he deserves and he wouldn't be you." He nuzzled Conrad's bare arm and sighed deeply, "I said I loved you, right?"

Conrad looked upon the tired teen adoringly, "Yes you did."

"I'll say it again. I love you, Conrad."

"I love you too, Yuuri. Sleep well."

And they did.


	5. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

They'd only been back at the castle for three days and mayhem already erupted.

Yuuri sighed heavily and nursed his swollen jaw from where Wolfram had clocked him earlier. The young lord reacted just as Yuuri feared he would when he broke the engagement as delicately as he could. The king allowed him the satisfaction of punching him in the face, but once the curtains caught flame Yuuri sped away in search of a hiding place. He could still hear Wolfram shouting and carrying on about 'no good cheating wimps'; and the rest of the castle seemed to be in an uproar over the destruction the blonde left in his wake.

He'd had to do it though. Conrad allowed no further contact with him beyond that of friendly once they'd returned. That hadn't been an issue the first day since Conrad had been attacked by Gisela and her medical supplies upon arrival, but he was on the mend and Yuuri really missed him. He missed everything about him, actually, and knew he had to break off the engagement to be fair to both of them. So he just pulled Wolfram aside and honestly did sound sorry about it, but Wolfram exploded anyway.

"He's taking it better than I expected." Yuuri yelped and jumped up at Conrad's sudden appearance before pouting as the older man chuckled lightly.

"That's not funny." Yuuri folded his arms across his chest and slid back down to conceal himself behind the suit of armor he'd chosen to hide behind. "How'd you find me? I thought this was a good spot."

Conrad arched an eyebrow, "Don't you know? I always know where to find you."

His tone made Yuuri blush darkly, "Yeah well… I'm here for my own safety, so you should get back here too in case Wolfram comes this way."

"He really has calmed down considerably. Gwendel got a hold of him and is lecturing him on the consequences of destroying the castle. I think it's safe for you to come out now." Conrad offered.

Yuuri looked at him skeptically, "He set the curtains on fire. And only because he missed my head! I'm sure he's fine with Gwendel now, but when he sees me again, I'm toast! Literally!"

"Yes, but Gunter is concerned with your present state and once Wolfram is calmer I'm sure he'll want to discuss repercussions with you so it's best you come out now, Heika." The soldier held out a hand to help his king up.

"It's Yuuri!" The boy glared, but took the offered hand anyway, "If we're… well, if we're going to be, you know, together now, you should at least be able to remember my own name!"

"Of course. My apologies, Yuuri." Conrad's smile reached his eyes and he looked so delighted by Yuuri's words that the boy couldn't stay cross with him for long; then his expression became stern as he carefully caressed the skin of his jaw. Yuuri winced, but showed no other sign of discomfort. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"It's sore, but not too bad if you don't touch it. It was throbbing earlier though… and it's going to be a pain to eat." Yuuri sighed and leaned into Conrad's hand slightly, "I'm not going to get it treated though because I kinda deserve it. Wolfram really did want to marry me, after all."

"I'm sorry." Conrad whispered, his thumb stroked Yuuri's cheek which made the boy smile and close his eyes.

"Mm, what for? I decided to end the engagement and I really should've done it sooner." He blinked up at Conrad, "If I have to suffer through a swollen jaw in order to have you, that isn't so bad. It's nothing compared to what you had to go through, oh that's right! How're you feeling?"

Conrad released a half sigh, half chuckle and pulled Yuuri close, "I'm wonderful, Yuuri. Thank you for asking."

"I mean seriously." Yuuri muttered against Conrad's military jacket. "Your side and arm and stuff."

"My side and arm and stuff are just fine." The man replied, amusement thick in his tone, so Yuuri just sighed. "No, really. Thank you, Yuuri, for taking such good care of me. I know it wasn't easy, so thank you."

Yuuri squirmed in his embrace, "Yeah, well… you did give me your life, right? So I have to take good care of it. But so do you! Don't think that's an excuse for you to become reckless."

Conrad just hummed softly and his arms tightened around the smaller body as Yuuri reciprocated the hug.

A loud crash sounded from down the hall and the pair pulled away from each other as Yuuri shuddered. "He is going to get over this someday, right?"

"Oh yes. Don't worry. He's gotten better with me after all, hasn't he?" Conrad grinned and Yuuri groaned.

"That took decades! And it's all going to go to waste when he finds out who I dumped him for."

Conrad ruffled Yuuri's hair and pressed a quick kiss to his hairline, "We'll just have to be patient then, won't we Heika?"

"GOOD FOR NOTHING WIMP! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, YUURI!"

Yuuri reached up and grabbed Conrad's collar to pull him down a bit; meeting his gaze, "I'm sorry, Sir Weller, but I'm not that patient." And crushed their lips together heatedly as he guided them back behind the suit of armor while Wolfram's storm continued to rage.

The End


End file.
